MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI – While New Year's Eve is an exciting, high-spirited holiday for some, local law enforcement officials are hoping celebratory gunfire isn’t part of the evening’s plans in Muskegon County.

Shooting off firearms to celebrate the start of the new year or Christmas is not only “reckless” but “irresponsible,” said Muskegon County Sheriff Dean Roesler.

“It’s unsafe, it’s unlawful and it’s unnecessary,” he said. “The bullet is going to come down somewhere. If you shoot it in the air, you have no control of where it’s going to come down.”

Roesler said the bullet fired into the air can climb up to two miles. When it falls back to earth, it can reach a speed of 300 to 700 feet per second. A velocity of only 200 feet per second is sufficient to penetrate the human skull, he said in a press release.

Furthermore, he warns that alcohol and firearms are never a good combination.